The cell phone just died on me for maybe the 4th night in a row. I don't really talk on it before 9 pm, (cause of minutes and what not) so I keep it plugged in most of the night and all day. Its unplugged for 45 minutes and the battery dies again. It died in the middle of a conversation too, which is frustrating.Ahhh, Technology.

Friday, February 25, 2005

I just got back from a kickboxing class. Talk about craziness. On Saturday I'm going to a knitting thing in the Union with my friend Keira.Why didn't I know about all this fun stuff until this semester?

Caleb, I am thinking about going with my friends, but we wouldn't really be spending time with each other. We'd all be living with seperate host families and taking seperate classes. We just want to go at the same time, for convienences sake, because we all want to live off campus our junior year. If only a some of us go at a time, it will make everything crazy.But I don't even know if I am going to do it.I twould scare me.I don't know!

So, a lot of my friends want to study abroad. Trinity College in Ireland to be exact. We were all thinking about going at the same time (cause that would be easiest, considering how we're going to be living together so if we are all gone, we wont lose an apartment or suite or whatever). I'd really like to go the fall of my Junior year. What do you guys think?

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

It's been kind of a slog for the last 6-8 months, and we've been rescued by very high mik prices. but the tables are turning and I'll tell you why.

Last winter, I was working full time and it was cold and the snow was deep. These three factors led to cows not getting bred between Christmas and April. So we had a dearth of fresh cows this fall, leading to increased days in milk (up to 260 avg.-very bad) and decreased production. In the spring I was able to get all the laggards bred, and we are about to reap the rewards. I have 13 cows due in March, and 35 due in the next 4 months! Production is about to explode. And breeding this winter has been much better than last, so we shouldn't have the same rough spot next year.

Milk prices have been excellent as I mentioned, but have been in a steady decline since the super bowl, which apparently has a positive effect on cheese prices. Cheese and butter prices on Friday were at a level that I would call acceptable, in contrast to the Very high prices of 04. But yesterday the market turned back up after some poor inventory reports and cheese and butter futures were markedly higher yesterday and today. You can read about it here:http://www.dailydairyreport.com/data/ddr022305.pdfNote the graph of butter inventories for the last two years. The inventories of 2003 are Vanished.

So production and price are going to be rising as we move into the months that are relatively easy and have the lowest expense. I thought I would share my optimism with you. Since I decided to rebuild the herd in Mid-2002, we have more than doubled the herd size, with only a few cow purchases. Since 2001, milk production has increased an average of 20% a year, and this year we should ship more than a million pounds, an increase of 110%from 2001.

Does everyone know this? Polka was put under contract for a bull calf by Genex (a stud service) and she's due to calve in June. If it's a bull, we keep it around for 6-7 months and then he goes to Ithaca? or maybe Wisconsin until he's old enough to produce semen. Then he's used for artificial insemination and several years later his daughters are evaluated and he gets a proof. Unfortunately for me, lucky for David, David owns half of Polka (49% actually), so he gets half the windfall. But I couldn't ask for a better friend than David, so I'm glad he can share.

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Oh, by the way, I'm planning on coming home for a day at some point in the next couple weeks. I'd like to get my oil changed and try to bang out the dent in the car. I was thinking either this coming Thursday or this coming Sunday. Will you (dad) be around on either of those days? Any day better than the other?

Okay. In the interest of family unity and togetherness, I should buy 5 tickets to a Toronto game on April 9 or 10. The games are early afternoon so I think we probably should go out the day before, stay over and be at the ballpark early and rested. Drive home after the game. Caleb could pick up Laura and meet us on the Thruway, and then all travel together. It would be tight in the backseat but it shouldn't be for too long. I won't do anything until I have heard from everybody. Don't dawdle as tickets are being sold as we speak.

Another time we could go to Baltimore. There's also the Phillies but their tickets don't go on sale until the 23rd.

Ok. Need input. Can get good seats for Toronto April 9. Hate their website. Don't want to spend my money in Canada. It could be still quite cool then. Can get good seats for Baltimore April 20 or 21. would be warmer. No further than Toronto. Camden yards. Luke is on vacation then? How many tickets do we want? they are about 60 bucks apiece. If more than four of us go, we'd have to take two cars or a rental. We'd prolly wanna spend a night, too.

- The Sox play three games at Philadelphia in late June, which is closer than Boston and much easier to get tickets to. Once I know whether or not I'll still be in the area, I'll look into getting tickets.

-Also, we drove by Knott's Motel on the Lake on the way up. Didn't we stay there once? The road around that lake was jammed with cars, for what we found out was a polar bear dip. I wish I'd stopped for pictures.

Andrew and I seriously underestimated how high the demand would be, and overestimated how many tickets would be available. Long drive to Cooperstown and back for naught, although we got into the HOF for free. Pictures below.